Flag Break

[Cambridgeskip 658]

I'm just back from summer camp where we have been camping with my troop's twin troop from Canada.

 

It's been a fascinating week as we have got used to the differences in language and customs but one thing that struck me was the difference at flag break.

 

In the UK it is standard for the scout breaking the flag to walk across the horse shoe the scouts have formed to do it. The Canadians were shocked by this! They take a step back and walk clockwise round the outside of the horse shoe to approach the flag.

 

That's something I've never seen before. So I'm curious, is that a general North America custom or just Canadian?

 

We ende dup doing it the Canadian way all week. Although they are taking one of our flag traditions with them. When the adult leaders are eating or for any othe reason are not to be disturbed we fly The Jolly Roger (skull and crossbones) from a side arm on our flag pole. The kids are instructed that we are only to be disturbed with life and death issues when it is flying. If we are disturbed with anything that is not life and death it will rapidly become a life and death issue

 

[qwazse 4346]

Maybe this was what Swift was referring to when he talked about "Big Enders" and Little Enders"?

 

I don't think we have a set way. Although more often than not, our colorguards return to their positions by directly crossing the field rather than around the troop formation. (Which more often than not is a postage stamp of patrols filed in ... Not a horseshoe.)

[Stosh 3452]

Our boys are generally taught to line up behind their SPL in a single file.  The reason for that is now they can salute the back of the head of the scout in front of them instead of the flag.

 

Do it any other way in my neck of the woods, and you will be corrected.

 

My boys stand off to the side of this practice and line up side by side, dress for spacing and salute the flag directly.  If someone mentions we do it wrong, we do flags from then on in our campsite instead.

 

One SM running a camporee liked what we were doing and made everyone do the big horseshoe formation.  Looked nice, but the ugly stares detracted from the occasion.

[CalicoPenn 729]

In my neck of the woods, the color guard would form the top of the arch of the horseshoe and everyone would form up the horsehoe (and in some cases, a full circle) from them - then the color guard would leave the formation of the horseshoe and walk directly across the field straight ahead of them to the flag pole rather than sneak up on the flag pole like the Canadians like to do.

 

Stosh,

We would do it your way too (most of us down here do so) and salute the flag directly.  If any one were to tell us we were wrong, we would tell them our Scouts are saying the pledge of allegiance to the flag, not to the back of someones head.

Edited August 24, 2015 by CalicoPenn

[qwazse 4346]

I guess topography defines us. At summer camp we have more boys than we do open field. So they would be saluting a tree trunk or the latrine if we did not arrange lines at some depth.

 

We do form to the left or right of the pole on the downhill side, so the SPLs do not obstruct the view of the flag. Also, maybe you all should consider tall poles, so that the back row can enjoy the view!

 

@@Stosh, You didn't answer the OP. Where does you colorguard retire to? Around behind the formation? Or, into the formation?

[T2Eagle 902]

Every year at summer camp I suggest a horseshoe or something similar to what Stosh suggests, every year I'm looked at as if I have grown a new head during that discussion.  The end result is that the boys don't stay in straight lines because they intuitively understand it doesn't make sense, but we don't let them spread out sensibly, so it's a bit of a mess of a formation.

[Stosh 3452]

I guess topography defines us. At summer camp we have more boys than we do open field. So they would be saluting a tree trunk or the latrine if we did not arrange lines at some depth.

 

We do form to the left or right of the pole on the downhill side, so the SPLs do not obstruct the view of the flag. Also, maybe you all should consider tall poles, so that the back row can enjoy the view!

 

@@Stosh, You didn't answer the OP. Where does you colorguard retire to? Around behind the formation? Or, into the formation?

 

At summer camp they come from off the side  At camporees or more ad hoc situations, usually from off the side, but sometimes through the formation is room is restricted..  By "off the side" it's not coming from behind around the formation it is more like enter stage right or left.

[SSScout 1616]

This is an issue to form antagonistic attitudes from?  

The PoA is a tradition, and in all traditions, there are YOUR way and the RIGHT way.    So it has always been.  

The camp I attended two years ago, the Troops form up with their Troop flags at the edges of the "parade" field, and the Scouts line up in ranks, mostly horizontal to the flag poles, rather than vertical to them,  facing the flag.  Staff members do the flag ceremony, either up or down. They march in from the side of the mess hall (west side of parade field) and march back that way.  Neither around the formation, if you can call it that, nor thru it, nor  up the middle, but in from the corner. 

 

"That's the right way to do it!!"